Hydraulic air-pump.



H. E. KRUECKE.

HYDRAULIC AIR PUMP.

APPLIoATroN IILED JAN.`13. 1913.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

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H. E. KRUECKE.

HYDRAULIC AIR PUMP.

PFLIoATIoN FILED .11.11.13, 191s.

Patented Nov. 1'?, 1914.

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HERMAN E. KRUECKE, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

HYDRAULIC AIR-PUMP.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that LHERMAN E. KRUECKE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of h/lilwaukee` in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Air- Pumps, of' which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an air pump operated by water presi sure, such as the pressure within the water main of a city water supply system.

The invention consists in the air pump as herein claimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in different views, Figurel is a central sectional elevation of' an air pump constructed in accordance with this invention, the plunger being in its lower position; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the plunger in its upper position; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the pump in the `position shown in Fig. 2, the sectional plane being at right angles to the sectional plane of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In these drawings 10 indicates an air cylinder which has a heavy metal plunger 11 fitting therein and which is equipped with an inlet check valve 12 and an outlet check valve 13 at its upper end through which air is drawn and expelled as the result of vertical reciprocations of the plunger in the well known manner.

The plunger at its lower end is provided with a lip ring 1a1 held in place by a flanged nut 15 threaded on the reduced end oi the plunger and this lip ringof leather or other desirable material maintains a tight lit between the plunger and the walls of the cylinder 10. At the center of the plunger there is an opening which is closed at its upper end by a screw plug 16 and which is provided. at its lower end with a shoulder 17 and within this opening there are two or `more `telescoping tubes 18 with inturned shoulders at their lower ends and outwardly turned shoulders at their upper ends7 the shoulder at the upper end of the outer tube engaging with the shoulder 17 of the plun- Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 13, 1913.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Serial No. 741,620.

ger and the shoulder at the upper end of the inner tube engaging with the inturned shoulder at the lower end of the outer tube when the plunger is in its upper position as shown in Fig. 2. A leaded valve stem 19 is contained within the inner tube 18 and in said position of the parts the head at its upper end engages the inturned shoulder at the lower end of the inner tube as shownin Fig. 2. rlhis valve stem 19 carries a number of valve rings 20 suitably spaced apart and slidably fitting within a valve casing 21 which is fixed in lace within a plug 22 at the lower end of t 1e cylinder and the movements of the valve rings within the valve casing serve to change the supply in the exhaust connections of a valve plunger which controls the supply in the exhaust connections to the lower end of the cylinder. A flanged nut 23 threaded on the upper reduced end of plug 22 is engaged by a disk 21 carried by the valve stem 19 to limit the upward movement of the valve stem and thc parts connected with it.

The plug 22 :forms a part of a cylindrical casing or base casting for the pump structure and this casing which is on a horizontal axis has a valve plunger 25 fitting therein with a valve 26 carried on the end of' its short stem 27 and fitting within a valve opening 28 of the casing of smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion and adapted to move from said valve opening to a corresponding opening in a water discharge plug 29 threaded in the end of the casing and having suitable connection 30 with a water discharge pipe. There is an annular space 31 between the valve opening 2S and the water discharge plug 29 which coinmunicates with the interior of the air cylinder through a pair of openings 32 through the casing and this space is alternately in connection with the interior of the water discharge plug' 29 when the valve 26 is in the position shown in Fig. 2 and with the water supply when the valve is in` the position shown in Fig. 1, said water supply` consisting of a pipe connection 233 at the side of the casing between the plunger 25 and the valve 26. Thus in one position of the valve, as shown in Fig. 1, water from the pressure supply is admittedto the lower end` of the air cylinder, passing from the water supply connection 38 through the plunger chamber and the valve opening 28 and through the annular space 31 and openings 32 and this pressure serves to lift the plunger 11, which is preferably of solid metal to give it the desired weight and the lifting movement of the plunger compresses the air above it in the cylinder and forces it out through valve 13. In the other position of the valve, as shown in Fig. 2, communication between the air cylinder and the water supply is closed by said valve itting in its opening 2S and the air cylinder is in communication with the water discharge plug 29 so that the water within the .air cylinder may escape therefrom, returning through the openings 32 and the space 31 to the interior of the water discharge plug 29, thus allowing the plunger 1l to descend which it does promptly because of its weight, in the meantime drawing in a new charge of air to the upper part of the air cylinder through valve 12.

The change in position of the valve 26 is automatic and controlled by the position of the plunger. riihe cylinder of the casing is closed by means of a screw cap 341-. and the space between it and the plunger 25 is the communication through a passageway 35 with an annular groove in the valve casing 2l having a series of radial openings leading from it to the interior of the valve casing. There are similar grooves with their radial openings in the valve casing above and below the one mentioned, the one above having communication through a passageway 36, shown in Fig. 3, to the interior of the plunger chamber where it receives the pressure of the water in the pressure supply and the one below having communication through a passageway 37 and a bent tube 38 with the interior of the water discharge plug 29, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. l/Vhen the valve rings 20 are in position for establishing communication between passageway 35 and passageway 36, which position is the one shown in F ig. 1, communication is established from the water pressure supply direct to the end of the plunger chamber so that both sides of the plunger 25 are subjected to the same pressure, but the valve 26 which has this pressure of the water mains on one side thereof has no pressure opposing it and consequently it is moved to and held in the position shown in Fig. 1 to establish connection from the water supply to the lower end of the air cylinder to cause the plunger 11 to rise and compress the air above it. When the plunger reaches the upper end of its movement the valve stem 19 is lifted thereby and the changed position of the valve rings thereof serves to interrupt the connection between the passageways 35 and 36 and establish communication between the passageway 35 and passageway 37. This substitutes a discharge communication for the water supply communication for the end of the valve chamber in the casing so that the pressure of the water against the inner face of plunger 25 will move it to the position shownin Fig. 2 asv such pressure is then only opposed by the pressure in the opposite direction againstY the valve 26 of smaller diameter. l/Vhen the discharge of the water from the air cylinder is completed through the discharge connectioneected by this position of the valve as above described the plunger 11 lowers until the ends of the telescoping tubes 18 engage the disk 24 through the opening in nut 23y and when the weight of plunger 11 is brought to bear upon the upper ends of said tubes by theengagement of plug 16 therewith this weight serves to press the valve stem l9`downwardly to restore the position of `the parts shown in Fig. 1 to cause a. repetitionof the operation just described whichbecomes continuous as long as water pressure is admitted to the device. y

It will be understood that the t of the valve rings 2O within thevalve casing 21 is sufficiently tight to hold them in whichever position they are placed until they are positively moved by the action of the plunger 1l either to push them upwardly or' to push them downwardly as described.

By means of this invention a simple and effective means is provided for converting water pressure into air pressure and the device is particularly adapted for use at bars or the like for supplying pressure for elevating liquids, though it is adapted for other uses.

Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An air pump, comprising an air cylinder, a weighted plunger fitting therein, telescoping tubes fitting within an opening in the plunger and provided with engaging shoulders for preventing their disengagement, a tubular valve casing at the bottom of the air cylinder, a headed valve stem fitting within the telescoping tubes, a series of valve members carried by the valve stem and fitting within the valve casing with annular spaces between them, there being ports through the valve casing connected by the annular spaces in the di'erent positions of the val-ve stem, an annular flange on one of the valve members, a cap nut surrounding the upper end of the valve casing and having a central opening through which the telescoping tubes project, but of smaller diameter than the annular flange to limit the upward movement of the valve stem, said annular ange being adapted to be engaged by the telescoping tubes for moving the valve stem to its-lower position when the weighted plunger is inits lower position, said valve stem being adapted to be lifted to its upper position by the iso telescoping tubes in the upper position of In testimony whereof, I aiix `my signathe Weighted plunger, and a pressure conture, in presence of two Witnesses.

trolled valve for controlling the admission HERMAN E. KRUECKE. of pressure Huid to the cylinder controlled Witnesses:

5 by the connections of the ports n the valve R. S. C. CALDWELL, casing. KATHERINE HOLT.

Copies o! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o! Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

